The use of sequential lighting circuits, e.g. "chaser lights" has been known for years. Such novelty lighting has always been appealing for movie theatre marquees, casinos, night clubs, and the like. Also such moving effect lighting has achieved commercial popularity as the accompaniment with with certain kinds of popular music (i.e., "rock", "disco", etc.) and is used by concessions which make their business from such mediums.
Sequential "chaser" lighting, whether "moving" or "back and forth" is inherently uninteresting and monotonous even after brief exposure thereto. The movement illusion is also hypnotic and can have a dulling effect on patrons, as well as the employees, or establishments using such lighting methods to any great extent.
An interesting lighting effect is also produced by lights which "flicker", producing the appearance of an open natural flame. Such an effect is widely fluctuant, usually being generated by a pseudorandom control signal source. In particular Bergeson in U.S. Pat. No. 4,064,414 entitled "Apparatus for Simulating the Light Produced by a Fire" and Weber in U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,045 entitled "Flickering Flame Effect Electric Light Controller" describes such flame effect controllers. The dramatic effect, while quite pronounced and attractive, is not particularly attention-getting when compared with chaser lights. Therefore the use of the flickering light is usually limited to quieter, more genteel applications such as romantic settings in lounges and restaurants, decorative drive-way lamps (post lanterns), and chandeliers for example.
The unique combination of the best qualities of both earlier teachings has wrought the improved lighting means herewithin described which has all the quality of dramatic movement inherent in a sequential chaser light system coupled with the exciting variety of lighting variation inherent in a flickering light system.